Raccoo-oo-oon’s self-titled (or untitled) swansong is a very fine way for a band to gracefully step aside. With its dynamic, far reaching, yet focused energy the album lets forth primitive rock energy peppered with complex and subtle texturing. Where many of their previous excursions have been centralized around earthy rhythmic propulsions, this one comes off more oceanic in scope ebbing and flowing between drifting sounds and high-octane explosions. The difference comes about from a shift in focus from percussion to various hooks, riffs and broken melodies led by guitar and organ. Now this isn’t t say that the compositions on the album reach out of the mire enough to create a traditional rock experience, instead Raccoo-oo-oon manage to pile on psyche-rock force while commingling with elements that exist far beyond that scope.
The album twists, convulses and turns in the high-energy tradition of both Raccoo-oo-oon’s past outings and live performances while the layers of sonic debris are utilized as a key defining feature. Raccoo-oo-oon utilize a wide array of instrumentation to maximum effect. Employing deep reverbs and echoes, the occasional saxophone, unintelligible vocals and a whole cadre of unidentifiable noisemakers to create a dense sonic stew that reel in a carefully constructed dance between chaos and order. Varied as it is texturally, the album conveys itself as whole that in many ways manages to sum up the entire existence of the band in all its facets: high-octane rockers, disjointed noise workouts, quirky melodies, moments of contemplation and pure elation.
Though this may be a very bold statement to make having not been privy to take in the bands entire oeuvre; if one were to only own a single Raccoo-oo-oon album, this quite possibly is
the one. 9/10 --
Cory Card (25 February, 2009)
